“Clean” and “well-trimmed”: firefighters will have to shave their beards if they want to return to work, according to the Council of State

This is the end of a long legal marathon for these seven firefighters from Saint-Étienne (Loire) who were fired because they refused to shave their beards. The Council of State – the highest court – has just ruled: if they want to return to work, they will have to shave. In its decision, the court confirmed the decision which had been rendered at first instance. Last March, the Lyon administrative court ruled that the obligation to shave was “not likely to seriously compromise a public interest”, as our colleagues at Figaro. “The applicant's situation […] results from their sole choices of not complying with the instructions of their hierarchical superiors,” the court also affirmed.

This decision currently only applies to the Saint-Étienne firefighters, and does not set a precedent: in this case, it is the decisions of the hierarchy of these firefighters which prevail. Last March, the lawyer for the seven firefighters argued that in the exercise of their profession, nothing prohibited the wearing of a beard, if it was properly maintained. “It is only indicated that the beard is authorized if well trimmed and clean to guarantee optimal use of wearing a mask,” she emphasized.

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For their part, their management had argued, affirming that shaving the beard made it possible to “guarantee optimal sealing and prevent leaks likely to endanger the firefighter” when he wears a protective mask. The firefighters claimed that this decision was contrary to national regulations.